"Looking back somewhat to the late 80's & early 90's heyday of Morbid Angel and Mayhem, Domains nevertheless do not idly wander around in the past like some bored tourist through a museum, but continue in the spirit of those bands, striding confidently forward just as those aforementioned names of legendary status once did. It is modern in the same sense that Altars of Madness was modern for its time; originality born through an expansion upon what came before, rather than the messy eclecticism disguising itself as forward-thinking progression considered by today's clueless outsiders or burnt out insiders as constituting new ground being broken. Sinister Ceremonies is evidently steeped in and has a grounding in the wider context and evolution of death & black metal, often sorely lacking in newer bands too self-referential to be able to express their works as anything beyond an insular pre-formed notion of "being a death metal album". Though it may not astonish or bewilder the listener with alien newness as "De Mysteriis" may have done, it still stands apart from most contemporary albums by virtue of its genuine sinister intent evoked without aesthetic gimmickry or posture. Lyrically and musically unpretentious, it cuts to the heart of the essence whilst retaining further secrets to unfold with future listening as one gradually learns the contours of its landscape and thus its hidden details."